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Newark City Guide

About Newark

Newark, which is the largest city in the state of New Jersey, is situated on Newark Bay near the Atlantic Ocean. The city’s strategic location is of great importance for its boundaries encompass Port Newark, which is the main container shipping facility for the New York metropolitan area and much of the East Coast.

The city of Newark is primarily considered to be a destination on the business travel map for it is home to several major corporations like Prudential Financial, Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Jersey, IDT Corporation, NJ Transit and many more. Additionally, the city also hosts a major bustling airport of the New York area, the Newark Liberty International Airport.

Newark is also a prominent educational hub that hosts several well known educational institutions like the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Rutgers University and the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Based on the above facts, it would seem that Newark is primarily a business oriented destination however the city is also popular with tourists on vacation as it is located within close proximity to the many coveted attractions of New York City.

Where to stay in Newark

Downtown Newark and the Central Business District

Downtown Newark is the commercial and cultural heart of the city. The area is home to Newark’s major cultural venues like the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), the Newark Symphony Hall, Prudential Center, the Newark Museum, Military Park, and the New Jersey Historical Society. Most of Newark’s office buildings are located within this downtown area which also various shopping opportunities along Broad and Market Streets.

Around Newark International Liberty Airport

The area around Newark’s International Liberty Airport is peppered with many diverse hotels that range from luxury and mid-range hotels to discount hotels and budget accommodations. Visitors on a vacation to New York City often choose to stay at these reasonably priced Newark hotels as they generally are less expensive than hotels located within New York City. Moreover these Newark hotels afford easy access to the many diverse attractions of the New York and New Jersey areas.

Places to see in Newark

The Newark Museum

The Newark Museum offers eighty galleries that display artworks and artifacts from every era and all parts of the world. The museum also encompasses the historical edifice of Ballantine House which is a Victoriam Mansion that faces Washington Park.

Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart

The Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart is the fifth largest cathedral in North America. The construction of the cathedral began in 1899 and continued with many interruptions until 1954 when it was consecrated and opened to the public. The cathedral was declared a historical landmark by New Jersey in 1974 and it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

Branch Brook Park

Branch Brook Park is one of the oldest parks in the nation’s park system. This Newark Park hosts a variety of events during the year including the hugely popular Cherry Blossom festival each April.

New Jersey Historical Society

The New Jersey Historical Society is located within Newark’s burgeoning arts district. The society is committed to chronicling and preserving the history of the state through its research library and collection of artifacts from all over New Jersey. The society’s collection includes books, posters, artworks that provide a valuable insight into the history of New Jersey.

The Jewish Museum of New Jersey

This museum commemorates the rich cultural heritage of New Jersey’s Jewish population. The museum was inaugurated in 2007 and is housed at the Ahavas Sholom synagogue which is the last continually operating synagogue in New Jersey. The museum has rotating and traveling exhibits that feature photographs, paintings, artworks, panel displays, artifacts and more.

Art Galleries

Newark is home to several art galleries like the City without walls gallery, the Rupert Raven Contemporary arts center, Sumei Arts Center and the Paul Robeson Galleries at Rutgers. If you are an arts enthusiast on a vacation or business trip to Newark, you are bound to be pleasantly surprised by Newark’s growing arts district.

Best time to visit Newark

Newark’s climate is characterized by warm, humid summers and frigid, cold winters. The city’s location near the Atlantic Ocean has a moderating effect on its winter temperatures and Newark is often known to be warmer in the winter than other cities like Columbus and Chicago which are located south of Newark.

The hottest month in Newark is July, during which the city usually experiences average daytime highs of 77F (25C) though there are days when the temperatures do go over 90F (32C). During the winter months the average daytime highs in Newark usually register 31F (-0C) but winter temperatures have been known to plummet below 15F(-9C) quite often. The best seasons to visit Newark are usually spring and early fall when temperatures range from a pleasant 60F (16C) to 68F (18C).

Getting around in Newark

Newark is a major transportation hub for the eastern coast of the United States. The city is well served by its perennially busy Newark Liberty International Airport which welcomes carriers from all parts of globe. This makes getting to Newark incredibly easy. In fact Fare Buzz regularly announces tempting flight deals for Newark so if you are looking for cheap air tickets to visit the New York area, you would do well as to check back with Fare Buzz often to explore its many cheap air flights for Newark. These flight deals even extend to last minute flights to Newark in case you have to get to Newark at short notice.

Newark, aside from its bustling airport, is served by many prominent highways like the New Jersey Turnpike ( I-95), the Garden State Parkway, Interstate 280, Interstate 78, U.S .Route 1/9, U.S.Route 22 and Route 2. The city is also equipped with a well developed public transport system which consists of commuter rails, an underground subway system that links Newark directly to Manhattan, a local light rail system and an extensive bus network.

Many visitors to Newark however choose to rent a car for the duration of their stay in Newark. Renting a car gives them easy access to the many attractions of the Newark area like the Six Flags Great Adventure Theme park, Atlantic City and the many shopping malls of New Jersey.

If you are desirous of having a car rental for your Newark vacation then Fare Buzz can be of help for it offers a good selection of affordable car rentals for Newark which can be booked via its travel booking platforms.

Where to shop in Newark

Newark is not really known as a shopping destination and the main downtown area of the city only offers a mish mash of chain retailers and small apparel stores. If you really want to shop on your visit to Newark, you need to head out of the city, to nearby destinations like the waterfront area of Jersey City which is located a mere six miles away. Situated here is the three-storey, Newport City mall that has stores like Sears, Macy’s and JC Penney as its anchor tenants along with an more than 150 outposts of well-known brands like the Gap, Victoria’s Secret, Aeropostale, Victoria’s Secret and many more. Additional attractions at this Simon Mall include an eleven-screen cinema, restaurants, coffee shops and a food court.

Yet another shopping destination located within close proximity to downtown Newark, is the Mall at Short Hills. This upscale shopping destination offers more than 170 luxe retailers like Hermes, Cartier, Giorgio Armani, Tourbillion along with outpost of upscale department stores like Bloomingdales, Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy’s, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus. Also located in the vicinity of Newark city, is the bargain-filled Jersey Gardens outlet mall, the largest outlet mall in New Jersey, which is located in Elizabeth, New Jersey, minutes away from Newark International airport. The Jersey Gardens mall hosts more than 230 outlet stores of popular brands like banana republic, White House Black Market, Ralph Lauren, Ann Taylor, Kenneth Cole and many more.

Where to eat in Newark

Newark’s dining scene surprisingly offers a slew of excellent European restaurants, some of which like the well-regarded, authentic Fornos of Spain have long featured on the city’s ‘best’ restaurant lists. Similarly well-regarded eateries in Newark include joints like 27 Mix (contemporary American), Seabra Marisqueira and Fernandes Steak House (Portuguese), Assaggini di Roma (Italian), Adega Grill (Portuguese), Don Pepe and Casa Vasca (Spanish), and Altas Horas (Brazilian).

Nightlife in Newark

Newark’s nightlife is not as varied or exciting as nightlife in neighboring NYC, though the city offers an assortment of nightlife haunts like bars, dance clubs, pool halls which aim to cater to every preference. Popular nightspots in Newark currently include joints like Hell’s Kitchen Lounge, MMM Bello’s Pub, Mcgovern’s Tavern, Krug’s Tavern, Blitz sportsbar (all bars), Vino Volo (wine bar) and QXT’s and Rio Lounge (both dance clubs).